Towards the end of June, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust hosted a delegation from the Jordan Hejaz Railway (JHR), who were keen to better understand the UK approach to Heritage Railways.  The original Hejaz Railway opened in 1908 and was planned and funded by the Ottoman Empire to support Muslim pilgrims performing the Hajj, a religious pilgrimage to Mecca.  However, the railway clearly had significant strategic potential in a region where long distance travel across inhospitable desert and mountainous terrain was very challenging.  The line was built to 1050mm (3ft 5¾ in) and is the single railway line remaining in Jordan today.  The Hejaz Railway is most famous for being the main target of attacks by Capt TE Lawrence in the Arab Revolt during World War I and many sections to the North and South of Jordan are no longer in use. 

JHR is seeking to revive use of the railway for both tourism and commuting.  The aims of their UK visit were to examine how Heritage Railway operations function in the UK, investigate the railway museum experiences provided in the UK and to see some examples of modern railways – high speed, underground, light railways (London Tramlink and Docklands Light Railway) and suburban railways.  They still have strong heritage links as they maintain a fleet of eight oil-fired steam locomotives alongside several GE diesel locomotives. 

Prior to their arrival in Darlington, the team visited the Great Central Railway, where they were able to see Tornado, as the locomotive approaches the end of her extensive overhaul.  They discussed the advantages of a new build locomotive and the addition of improvements to the original design and the installation of modern signalling equipment and were impressed to see what had been achieved. 

After a visit to the National Railway Museum the previous day, the delegation visited the new Locomotive Works in Darlington and after a short presentation about the build of both Tornado and Prince of Wales, a short update on the Hopetown development and plans for 2025 celebrations they toured the new building and inspected tracklaying progress outside the shed.   At the end of the visit, we exchanged some small gifts for those involved and the delegation left to travel by LNER down to London and complete their visit with some exposure to a variety of modern traction.